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My 9 yr old greyhound has a cut on her leg which she will not leave alone and is therefore not healing well. When I put the cannister on her (like a cone) she gets so anxious that she trembles all over, hyperventilates so badly she woke me up and I sleep on the 2nd floor. Her heart was racing so fast I was very worried. Is it ok to give her a 1/2 a Benedryl to calm her down, and what can I do to heal the cut? Help!
Optional Information: Age: 9; Female; Breed: greyhound Already Tried: Have tried styptic to dry up but she keeps licking it - did put antibiotic ointment on it - finally gave her a 1/2 bendryl to calm her down as she just could not be quieted. Have not put the cannister back on as she just gets too upset - she is normally a VERY quiet calm dog. How can I get this to heal?
Hi thereCustomer Welcome to Just Answer! I am so sorry that you have had such a long wait to get a response to this challenging question. I would like to help you, but need a bit more information in order to better assist you. Which leg is the cut on? Where on the leg? How long ago did the cut happen? Fiona
it is her right rear leg on the skin stretched between the tendons - just above where "heel" of her long foot is
the cut happened 3 days ago - it is like a scrape where there is no skin approx 1 " x 1/2"
thanx for helping me
Hmmm... is there any chance you could upload a digital picture of it? From a camera or cell phone?
unfortunately no i just came into the computer world when i did have the cone on her it started drying nicely in 1 day but then the anxiety thing got too be too much
That's ok about the camera... I'll just have to ask a few more questions! Is this cut just above her hock? here is a dog image that we could use so you can explain where it is: http://www.infovisual.info/02/068_en.html How deep is it? Are tendons showing?
no below the hock in the cannon bone area (the visual really helps) there is no sign of pus and no odor on the scrape and no tendons showing it's not so deep as that there is no skin there-the greys are so thin there
Ok, thanks for that information! And how did she injure it? Also, please tell me how much she weighs, and how she did with the 1/2 benadryl?
she slipped on the ice going up our concrete steps and sraped it on the cement she weighs 68 lbs i gave her 1/2 of a small tablet and she seems to do well calms her down immensely i have used it when she gets anxious over thunderstorms
My son did a similar thing a couple of weeks ago and cut his head - I know how easily it happens! Ok, this has all been very helpful! Now, tell me about the collar - it's one like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabethan_collar Fiona
no that cone type she can get off with her pointy head its flexible but sturdy: You wrapr it around the neck and fasten it with a velcro strap. There is a strap that goes behind her front legs and hitches to the collar she cant do much with it on
Ah... one of these? http://www.bitenot.com/ I have to run out to get my son from the bus stop but will be back in about 30minutes to help you further. Sorry for the delay!
no problem will start supper take your time
Hi again pammeiann47, Thanks for your patience! You have described to me a 9 yr old female Greyhound who has a scrape over her cannon bones on her right rear leg. She licks at the wound which impairs healing, but panics when a Bite Not collar is applied. There are a number of options here to help this wound to heal. Let me go over the issues I would like to discuss: 1. Wound care In order to promote healing, the most helpful thing would be for you to wash the wound with warm water and antibacterial soap 3 times daily for 3 days, then twice daily for 2 days. If you have antibacterial soap in the house (Hibitane or chlorhexidene soap would be ideal, hand soap is ok if you have nothing else) you can add about a tablespoon to a cup of warm water. Put a washcloth in, then wring it out. Gently scrub the wound for about 10 minutes to try to remove any discharge from it and keep it clean. Wipe the area with a plain wet washcloth and pat dry. You can apply a thin layer of antibiotic ointment (such as BNP ointment) to the wound after cleaning it. 2. Prevent her from licking it You are absolutely right that is not going to heal if she licks it! So, either she wears the Bite Not collar and you give her something to ease her anxiety (I'll come back to this) or the wound has to be covered. a) Covering it Your veterinarian could certainly apply a bandage to the wound to keep her away from it. Bandages can be sprayed with Bitter Apple spray to keep dogs from chewing on them. Here is what I mean: http://www.bitterapple.com/ Alternatively, you could try getting a long cotton sock and putting that over the wound. You can anchor it by putting some strips of tape at the top. I would recommend strips that go up and down the leg, NOT around it as you can cut off circulation if you encircle the leg tightly. Again, you could spray with Bitter Apple. This sock could be removed when you are around to monitor her, if she will listen when you ask her to leave the wound alone b) Using the Bite Not collar It does sound as though this collar terrifies her, poor girl! I wonder if she would tolerate it better if you did not use the part that goes under her body? Anyway, if you are forced to use this, you might have to relax her a bit. Without taking her to a vet, you are right that you can use BENADRYL (diphenhydramine). The dose that one generally gives is 1mg/lb. It comes as 25 mg tablets, thus your dog could safely have 2.5 tablets! Naturally, you don't have to give that much if you find a smaller dose is effective. Here is more about Benadryl: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=0&cat=1303&articleid=1400 http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/diphenhydramine-benadryl/page1.aspx Benadryl causes sedation in most dogs it is given to – but excitement in the very occasional dog! Another option would be to try Composure Liquid from Vetri Science It is composed of a protein extract from a milk product and a soy product plus a few other things. It seems to work great for many dogs and cats. http://www.vetriscience.com/composure-liquid.php If your dog went to see a vet, then the vet could prescribe stronger sedatives for you to give at home, such as acepromazine. This is a sedative that can be given either by injection (in the clinic) or by pills (which you could give at home). It has much more of a sedating effect than the Benadryl. But it also has more serious side effects such as low blood pressure, so a vet has to examine a patient before giving it. Here are some more ideas: http://www.petplace.com/dogs/stop-it-how-to-stop-your-dog-from-licking/page1.aspx I do hope that these ideas help you to help your dog. If the wound is looking infected (has an odor, discharge, redness, swelling or pain) then do see your veterinarian promptly to get antibiotics for your dog. Your veterinarian could also bandage the wound so she couldn't get at it. I hope that this helps you to help your Greyhound! If this has been helpful, please accept my answer and leave feedback. If you need more information, just click on reply and I will be back to provide it. The above is given for information only. Although I am a licensed veterinarian, I cannot legally prescribe medicines or diagnose your pet's condition without performing a physical exam. If you have concerns about your pet I would strongly advise contacting your regular veterinarian. Best wishes! Fiona
Experience: 16 years experience as a companion animal veterinarian in British Columbia, California and Ontario
thank you so much Fiona I feel much more confidant in knowing what to do and not do
You are so very welcome! :-) I hope that she is back to 100% soon! Fiona